Display package for elongated handled implements



A ril 28, 1964 P. D. KORZAAN DISPLAY PACKAGE FOR ELONGATED HANDLED IMPLEMENTS Filed Dec. 30, 1963 INVENTOR.

3:55 K c: A1 Ft United States Patent 3,130,834 DISPLAY PACKAGE FOR ELONGATED HANDLE!) EMPLEMENTS Peter D. Korzaan, Teaneck, NJ assignor to Utlllty Printing Company, Carlstadt, N.J., a partnership Filed Dec. 30, 1963, Ser. No. 334,537 11 Claims. (Cl. 206-80) This invention relates to a display package for elongated handled implements such as fixed blade knives, works, screw drivers, chisels, paint brushes and the like, to wit, implements having a tool portion and a handle port on joined at a shoulder. More particularly, my invention pertains to a display package of the character described that is fabricated from paperboard such as cardboard, pasteboard or kraftboard, i.e. a thin, fiat sheet that is stiff enough to offer a noticeable resistance to bending and sufficiently resilient to flex appreciably and yet tend to resume a plane state when bending pressure is released.

A principal object of my present invention is to provide an attractive, neat and new display package for elongated handled articles which will non-shiftably hold the entire article within the confines of the package in full view of potential purchasers.

It is another object of my invention to provide a pack age of the character described which is inexpensive and economical and yet of good quality, and which is well adapted for production and assembly techniques.

It is another object of my invention to provide a package of the character described which protects any sharp or pointed parts of the article displayed as well as protecting the public against these parts, while still displayin g the article to view.

It is another object of my invention to provide a package of the character described which materially enhances the pilfer-resistance of the article displayed by employing a construction that makes it difficult to hastily or easily separate the displayed article from the package and that makes it difficult to fold the package into a smaller compass for concealing it on the person of a shoplifter.

These and various other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent to the reader in the following description.

My invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the display package hereinafter described and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the appended claims.

' In the accompanying drawings in which is shown one of the various possible embodiments of my invention,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a display package embodying the instant invention and in which a carving knife is mounted;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the package shown in FIG. 1, the knife being illustrated apart from the package;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line 44 of FIG. 3.

In accordance with my present invention a display package is provided which comprises two parts, namely, a sleeve and a resilient, elongated, flexible mounting panel, said panel having a front surface on which an implement is mountable that tends to assume a flat condition in repose. The panel is provided with at least one outwardly concave weakened narrow zone adjacent a long side there of and running longitudinally of the panel, and a centrally disposed straight weakened narrow zone parallel to a long side. The panel is flexed frontwardly along the weakened zones. The outwardly concave weakened nar row zone opposes such flexing and tends to cause the panel to lie flat. Said concave zone also imparts longitudinal rigidity to the panel when flexed as aforesaid. The panel has a shallow channel-like cross-section imparted thereto by flexing thereof along the linear zones, the implement being located and protected by the channel.

The mounting panel include means providing an opening near the top thereof to receive the tip of the tool portion of the implement being packaged. A seat is formed at the bottom of the panel to abuttably receive the lower end of the handle portion of the implement.

The sleeve manually removaly encircles the panel transversely thereof adjacent the handle portion of the implement displayed on the panel. Said sleeve has a girth greater than the width and less than twice the width of the panel in repose so that it will hold the flexed panel bowed against the bias tending to restore it to flat condi tion.

The sleeve includes a tab manually manipulatable between a non-operative position wherein it projects away from the handle receiving seat and an operative position wherein it projects towards the seat and the front of the panel. When the sleeve is properly located adjacent the handle portion of the implement, the tab in its operative position abuts the implement at the shoulder that joins the tool portion to the handle portion whereby to hold the handle against its seat. The play of forces between the constricting action of the sleeve and the tendency of the panel to flatten, together with the tab and the reception of the tip of the tool portion in an opening and the handle portion in the seat produces a rigid package wherein the implement is held against longitudinal, transverse, frontto-back and twisting movement.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the reference number 10 denotes a display package embodying my present invention. A conventional carving knife 12 having a fixed sharp blade 14 and a handle 16 is shown mounted in the display package 10. Said knife comprises, as is usual, a shoulder on each face of the knife where the thick handle is joined to the thin blade.

The package includes a resilient, flexible elongated rectangular mounting panel 18 and a sleeve 20. The panel and sleeve are both desirably fabricated from thin sheets of paperboard such as cardboard, pasteboard or kraftboard, i.e. thin sheets of paperboard that are stifl enough to offer a noticeable resistance to bending and sufliciently resilient to flex appreciably and yet tend to resume their plane state when bending pressure is released.

The bot-tom end of the panel (:as seen in FIG. 1) is folded to form a hollow open-sided platform 22 having a top 24, a bottom seat 26, a front 28 and a back 30 (see FIG. 3). More specifically, the bottom end of the panel is folded frontwardly at right angles to the main body of the p ane] to form the top 24, then downwardly at right angles to the top to form the front 28, then rearwardly at right angles to the front to form the bottom seat 26 and finally upwardly at right angles to the seat to form the back 30. The back overlaps the rear surface of the main body of the panel and is secured thereto as by gluing.

The top 24 of the platform is provided with an opening 32 adapted to snugly admit the lower end 34 of the knife handle 16 with the bottom of the handle resting on the seat 26. Near the top of the panel (as viewed in FIG. 1) two closely spaced transverse parallel slits 36 are incised, said slits forming a means providing an opening through which the tip 38 of the knife blade 14 can be slipped with an edge of the opening pressing against a broad face of the knife.

As may best be seen in FIG. 2, the panel is provided with two oppositely curved arcu-ate weakened linear (narrow) zones 40 e.g. crease lines, extending from the top thereof to the platform. Each zone 40 runs the full length of the space between the longitudinal central axis and a long side 42 of the panel and is concavely shaped with '70 {J respect to the adjacent long side. The ends of each concave zone are located at the top and bottom of the adjacent long side. A straight weakened narrow zone 44, e.g. a crease line, is located parallel to the long sides and midway between the outwardly concave zones 40, said straight zone extending from the top of the panel downwardly throughout a substantial portion thereof. As illustrated, the straight zone runs to a point below a keying means to be described hereinafter.

The panel is flexed frontwardly along all three Weakened zones; the material of which the panel is made is, as heretofore was pointed out, sufliciently resilient so that the panel tends to resume its flat repose condition. The arcuate zones 40 resist the frontwa-rd flexing and exert a force biassing the panel toward flat condition. The result is that the panel has a shallow channel-like shape that longitudirially rigidities the panel against transverse folding. Attention is called to the increased toward-flat biassing effect obtained by use of the outwardly concave configuration of the zones 40. Because of such curvature the ends of the body add to the toward-flat biassing effect that would prevail if the zones 40 were simply straight.

The sleeve 20 comprises an elongated strip of paperboard formed into a ring and held in such shape by an interengaged tongue and slot. More particularly, one end of the strip is provided with a slot 46 adapted to receive a T-shaped tongue 48 provided at the other end (see FIG. 2). The sleeve is of such girth (between the width and twice the width of the panel) that when the panel is inserted into lit said panel will bow transversely by folding frontwardly whereby to impart to the panel a channel-like configuration which is of maximum depth at the sleeve. The sleeve is provided with a tab 50 manually manipulatable about a fold line 51 between an operative and an inoperative position as already mentioned. The fold line 51 is perpendicular to the orientation of the paper fibers in the sleeve so that the tab resists fold-ing and thereby presses the knife against the front surface of the panel 18.

Keying means constituting transversely registered notches 52 shaped to snugly accommodate the sleeve are provided on the long sides 42 of the panel to lock the sleeve at a fixed position on the panel. The notches are located at a distance from the bot-tom seat 26 about equal to the length of the implement handle 16 so that when the bottom of the handle abuts the bottom seat, the tab 50 in its operative position presses against the knife handle substantially at the shoulder where the blade joins the handle. More particularly, the tip 54- of the tab engages the shoulder 56 between the handle and blade, as clearly shown in FIG. 3, when the sleeve is in the position defined by the notches 52 and the tab is in its operative position.

ince the sleeve transversely compresses the panel and the panel tends to move towards a flatter condition, when the sleeve is in the notches the tendency of the panel to flatten causes the sleeve to remain securely locked within the notches.

Both the sleeve and the panel can conveniently be formed by conventional paper blanking and creasing techniques.

The implement and display package are assembled as follows: First, the tip of the blade is inserted through the slits 36 a distance such that the bottom of the handle clears the top of the platform 22. The insertion of the tip is initially into (front-to-back) the lower slit and then out of (back-to-front) the upper slit as is clearly shown in FIG. 1. Next, the knife is lowered with the bottom end 34 of the handle directed into the opening 32 in the top of the platform. The knife is lowered until the bottom end of the handle contacts the bottom 26 of the platform. The tip of the panel is then squeezed so as to fold it frontwardly along the central weakened zone 44, i.e. it is transversely squeezed or compressed sufficiently to permit the sleeve 20 to be slid over the top of the panel. Thereafter the sleeve is slid down the panel to the notches 52. The

4 tab 50 is in its inoperative position, i.e. it projects upwardly and towards the panel, while the sleeve isbeing slid downwardly to the notches. Since the sleeve has a girth less than twice the width of the panel the sleeve will hold the panel flexed forwardly about the zones 40, 44. After the sleeve is in place, the tab is forced downwardly until it snaps to its operative position wherein it projects downwardly and towards the front of the panel and engages the handle at substantially the shoulder joining the blade to the handle. The knife can be removed by reversing the above steps.

A display package of the instant invention is economical, compact and attractive. The sharp edge or points, if any, of the packaged implement are shielded by the sides of the channel formed by the panel. The tendency of the panel to return to its flat condition against the transverse compression exerted by the sleeve causes. the tab to tightly abut the implement handle and to therefore hold the implement against longitudinal, twisting, and front-to-back movement. In other words, the handle of the implement (and thus the implement as a whole) is held between the bottom seat of the platform and the tip of the tab. The material forming the slits 36 and the opening 32 also prevents transverse, front-to-back, and twisting movement of the implement. Generally, the package is rigidified by the play of forces between the panel, the sleeve and tab.

After an implement has been integrated into the display package embodying the instant invention, the package cannot be easily folded in any direction. Therefore, it cannot readily be made smaller for hiding. This aids in preventing pilferage. Still further, since the implement must be removed from the package in a particular manner and cannot be hastily detached, stealing of the knife from the package is made more diflicult.

Itthus will be seen that I have provided a package which achieves the several objects of my invention and is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of my above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein described or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A display package for an implement including a tool portion and a handle portion joined at a shoulder, said package comprising a resilient, flexible, elongated mounting panel that tends to assume a flat condition in repose and a sleeve transversely encircling the panel, said panel having a front surface on which the implement is mountable, means defining an opening near the top of the panel to admit the tip of the tool portion, a seat at the bottom of the panel to abuttably receive the lower end of the handle portion, said panel having an outwardly concave weakened narrow zone adjacent a long side thereof and running longitudinally of the panel and also having a straight weakened narrow zone disposed substantially centrally of the panel and parallel to a long side, the panel being flexed frontwardly along said zones, said sleeve having a girth greater than the width and less than double the width of the panel in repose so as to hold the panel flexed frontwardly when the sleeve is fitted thereover, said sleeve including a tab manually manipulatable between non-operative position wherein it projects away from the seat and an operative position wherein it projects towards the seat and the front of the panel, whereby with the implement mounted on the panel with the lower end of its handle portion received in the seat and tip of its tool portion received in the opening, the sleeve is movable to a position adjacent the handle wherein the tab in its operative position abuts the shoulder between the tool portion and the handle portion thereby to retain the implement on the panel and prevent longitudinal,

transverse, front-to-back and twisting movement thereof and to rigidify the package as a whole.

2. A display package for an implement including a tool portion and a handle portion, said package comprising a resilient, flexible, elongated mounting panel that tends to assume a flat condition in repose and a sleeve transversely encircling the panel, said panel having a front surface on which the implement is mountable, means defining an opening near the top of the panel to admit the tip of the tool portion, a seat at the bottom of the panel to abuttably receive the lower end of the handle portion, said panel having an outwardly concave weakened narrow zone adjacent along side thereof and running longitudinally of the panel and also having a straight weakened narrow zone disposed substantially centrally of the panel and parallel to a long side, the panel being flexed frontwardly along said zones, said sleeve having a girth greater than the width and less than double the width of the panel in repose so as to hold the panel flexed when the sleeve is fitted thereover.

3. A display package for an implement including a tool portion and a handle portion joined at a shoulder, said package comprising a resilient, flexible, elongated paperboard mounting panel and a paperboard sleeve transversely encircling the panel, said panel having a front surface on which the implement is mountable, means. defining an opening near the top of the panel to admit the tip of the tool portion, a seat at the bottom of the panel to abuttably receive the lower end of the handle portion, said panel having an outwardly concave weakened narrow zone adjacent a long side thereof and running longitudinally of the panel and also having -a straight weakened narrow zone disposed substantially centrally of the panel and parallel to a long side, the panel being flexed frontwardly along said zones, said sleeve having a girth greater than the width and less than twice the width of the panel in repose so as to hold the panel flexed frontwardly when the sleeve is fitted thereover, said sleeve including a tab manually manipulatable between a non-operative position wherein it projects away from the seat and an operative position wherein it projects towards the seat and the front of the panel, and keying means for locating the sleeve on the panel in such position that with an implement mounted on the panel with the lower end of its handle portion abutting the seat and the tip of its tool portion inserted in the opening, the tab in its operative position abuts the handle portion substantially at the shoulder joining the handle portion to the tool portion, whereby the implement is retained on the panel, longitudinal, transverse, front-to-back and twisting movement thereof is prevented and the package as a whole is rigidified.

4. A display package for an implement including a tool portion and a handle portion joined at a shoulder, said package comprising a resilient, flexible, elongated paperboard mounting panel and a paperboard sleeve transversely encircling the panel, said panel having a front surface on which the implement is mountable, said panel including a transverse slit near the top thereof to admit the tip of the tool portion, said panel also including a platform at the bottom thereof, said platform including a seat for abuttably receiving the lower end of the handle portion, said panel also including an outwardly concave weakened narrow zone adjacent a long side thereof and running longitudinally of the panel and a straight weakened narrow zone disposed substantially centrally of the panel and parallel to a long side, the panel being flexed frontwardly along said zones, said sleeves having a girth greater than the width and less than double the width of the panel in repose so as to hold the panel flexed forwardly when the sleeve is fitted thereover, said sleeve including a tab manually manipulatable between a non-operative position wherein it projects away from the seat and an operative position wherein it projects towards the seat and the front of the panel, and keying means for locating the sleeve on the panel in such position that with an implement mounted on the panel with the lower end of its handle portion abutting the seat and with the tip of its tool portion inserted in the transverse sli-t, the tab in its operative position abuts the handle portion substantially at the shoulder joining the handle portion to the tool portion, whereby the implement is retained on the panel, longitudinal, transverse, front-to-back and twisting movement thereof is prevented and the package as a whole is rigidified.

5. A display pack-age as set forth in claim 4 wherein the platform includes means located above the seat and defining an opening snugly matching the contour of the handle portion.

6. A display package as set forth in claim 4 wherein two outwardly concave arcuate weakened narrow zones are provided each being adjacent a different long side of the panel.

7. A display package as set forth in claim 4 wherein the keying means comprises a notch in a long side of the panel to receive the sleeve.

8. A display package as set forth in claim 7 wherein two parallel spaced slits are provided to successively pass the tip of the tool portion.

9. A display package for an implement including a tool portion and a handle portion joined by a shoulder, said package comprising a resilient flexible elongated mounting panel that tends to assume a flat condition in repose and a sleeve transversely encircling the panel, said panel having a front surface on which the implement is mountable, means defining an opening in the panel to admit the tool port-ion, a seat on the panel against which to abut the lower end of the handle portion, said panel having two outwardly concave weakened narrow zones each adjacent and concave with respect to a different long side of the panel, the panel being flexed forwardly along said zones to define a channel in which the implement is located, said sleeve having a girth greater than the width and less than twice the width of the panel in repose so as to hold the panel flexed forwardly when the sleeve is fitted thereover, said sleeved including means engaging the shoulder of the implement and holding the handle portion against the seat.

10. A display package as set forth in claim 9 wherein the panel includes keying means cooperable with the sleeve to locate the sleeve in a fixed position on the panel.

11. A display package as set forth in claim 10 wherein the panel includes a straight weakened zone parallel to the long sides of the panel and between the outwardly concave weakened narrow zones, said straight zone extending from the top of the panel toward the seat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,071,386 Berger Feb. 23, 1937 2,394,457 Lobl Feb. 5, 1946 2,758,723 Morris et a1. Aug. 14, 1956 2,915,174 Barnhart Dec. 1, 1959 2,932,384 Johnnides Apr. 12, 1960 2,983,368 Vander Lugt May 9, 1961 

1. A DISPLAY PACKAGE FOR AN IMPLEMENT INCLUDING A TOOL PORTION AND A HANDLE PORTION JOINED AT A SHOULDER, SAID PACKAGE COMPRISING A RESILIENT, FLEXIBLE, ELONGATED MOUNTING PANEL THAT TENDS TO ASSUME A FLAT CONDITION IN REPOSE AND A SLEEVE TRANSVERSELY ENCIRCLING THE PANEL, SAID PANEL HAVING A FRONT SURFACE ON WHICH THE IMPLEMENT IS MOUNTABLE, MEANS DEFINING AN OPENING NEAR THE TOP OF THE PANEL TO ADMIT THE TIP OF THE TOOL PORTION, A SEAT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PANEL TO ABUTTABLY RECEIVE THE LOWER END OF THE HANDLE PORTION, SAID PANEL HAVING AN OUTWARDLY CONCAVE WEAKENED NARROW ZONE ADJACENT A LONG SIDE THEREOF AND RUNNING LONGITUDINALLY OF THE PANEL AND ALSO HAVING A STRAIGHT WEAKENED NARROW ZONE DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY CENTRALLY OF THE PANEL AND PARALLEL TO A LONG SIDE, THE PANEL BEING FLEXED FRONTWARDLY ALONG SAID ZONES, SAID SLEEVE HAVING A GIRTH GREATER THAN THE WIDTH AND LESS THAN DOUBLE THE WIDTH OF THE PANEL IN REPOSE SO AS TO HOLD THE PANEL FLEXED FRONTWARDLY WHEN THE SLEEVE IS FITTED THEREOVER, SAID SLEEVE INCLUDING A TAB MANUALLY MANIPULATABLE BETWEEN NON-OPERATIVE POSITION WHEREIN IT PROJECTS AWAY FROM THE SEAT AND AN OPERATIVE POSITION WHEREIN IT PROJECTS TOWARDS THE SEAT AND THE FRONT OF THE PANEL, WHEREBY WITH THE IMPLEMENT MOUNTED ON THE PANEL WITH THE LOWER END OF ITS HANDLE PORTION RECEIVED IN THE SEAT AND TIP OF ITS TOOL PORTION RECEIVED IN THE OPENING, THE SLEEVE IS MOVABLE TO A POSITION ADJACENT THE HANDLE WHEREIN THE TAB IN ITS OPERATIVE POSITION ABUTS THE SHOULDER BETWEEN THE TOOL PORTION AND THE HANDLE PORTION THEREBY TO RETAIN THE IMPLEMENT ON THE PANEL AND PREVENT LONGITUDINAL, TRANSVERSE, FRONT-TO-BACK AND TWISTING MOVEMENT THEREOF AND TO RIGIDIFY THE PACKAGE AS A WHOLE. 